AN: I just want to take a moment to say thank you to you all. I don't think I've mentioned it lately, but I really love and appreciate your reviews. For the past year (or almost-year, anyway), you guys were what kept me going. The fact that you followed my stories, added them to your favourites, your lovely messages and reviews, all those things gave me the confidence I needed to keep on writing, to keep on posting, and finally also to take the next step, namely to write an original story and publish it (or I hope that will happen anyway). So... thank you all so much. I love you 3.
Blame ExoticPeachBlossom for that sentimental mood, because she said such sweet things to me today in a PM :).
Also, a shoutout to BlueD. You're back! :D I've been wanting to stalk you, asking you where you had disappeared to, but you didn't have an account :( so it's very good to have you back!
Chapter 7. March of the Gale Force
"So she's not really wicked," Marlyn concluded when Fiyero had finished his story.
"She's not," he confirmed.
"The Wizard and Madame Morrible are," Marlyn said.
Fiyero nodded helplessly. "I know you're probably going to have trouble believing that," he said before she could open her mouth. "But… it's the truth. If you can't accept that, that's fine. Just… just please accept the fact that she," he nodded towards Elphaba, "is no more wicked than you are. She just… got caught in the middle of something."
"A victim of the circumstances," Marlyn summarised, and Fiyero nodded again.
"Something like that."
Marlyn shook her head. "I don't know what to believe," she admitted. "I mean… I don't believe you when you say that the Wizard and Madame Morrible are evil. I'm not sure if I believe you when you say that she is not wicked – I've heard so many stories about the Wicked Witch of the West, I can barely imagine them all to be false… But then again," she said, looking down at Elphaba, "those stories spoke of the Witch having extra eyes and snake-like skin, of her being an ugly old hag who is so evil that pure water can melt her…"
Fiyero snorted.
"…but that's not what I see," Marlyn continued. She was still looking at Elphaba, a small frown on her face. "I mean… the only strange thing about her is her skin colour. She's not an old witch with skin resembling a snake's, and pardon me, but I don't see any extra eyes on her, either. She's… she's just a girl," she said, apparently stunned by that realisation. "I bet she's younger than I am."
"She's twenty-two," Fiyero said softly, and Marlyn nodded.
"My little sister's age," she said in wonder. She ran her fingers through her hair. "I… I don't know what to think anymore," she said, shaking her head.
"I understand," said Fiyero, rising to his feet and placing his hand on Marlyn's arm. "I do. And like I said, you don't have to believe me. Just… just please don't…"
"I won't betray her to anyone," Marlyn promised him immediately. "You have my word." She hesitated, then added, "Not unless her life is in danger. If she gets worse…"
Fiyero squeezed her arm for a moment before letting go. "Thank you," he whispered.
Just then, there came a soft moan from the direction of the bed. The effect was immediate; Marlyn jumped in surprise, while Fiyero moved to the bedside in the blink of an eye, clutching Elphaba's hand. "Fae?" he asked hopefully.
He felt like dancing when her large, dark brown eyes slowly fluttered open. "Yero?" she croaked. She blinked a few times, becoming aware of her surroundings – and the pulsating, burning pain in her side. "Where am I?"
Fiyero kissed her knuckles, laughing and crying at the same time. He smoothed her hair away from her brow. "You're in the hospital," he whispered to her. "Remember what happened in the City?"
Her eyes widened. "Oh," she breathed, and immediately, she tried to push herself up.
Fiyero, however, was faster – and stronger. "Don't even think about it," he hissed at her. "Your stubbornness almost cost you your life once, and I will not risk losing you again, do you understand?"
She seemed to deflate a little. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "About what happened in the City…"
He shook his head, stroking her cheek. "Don't worry about that now," he soothed her. "Just focus on getting better, okay?"
He saw her looking at Marlyn, and he said, "She's a nurse. Her name is Marlyn. She's the only one that knows we're here. Don't worry, we can trust her."
Too tired and in too much pain to argue, Elphaba closed her eyes again. "Okay…" she whispered faintly.
Fiyero kissed her forehead, continuing to caress her cheek as he did so. "Go to sleep, Fae," he said softly. "You need it. You'll get better soon… you're safe here." For now, anyway.
She sighed softly, pressing her cheek against his hand, clutching his fingers in hers as if he would slip away the moment she loosened her grip. "Don't leave me," she pleaded softly, her voice almost inaudible.
He rested his forehead against her temple, nuzzling her cheek. "Never," he promised her quietly, rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb in a comforting gesture. She sighed again, and then her breathing slowly evened out and he knew she had fallen asleep again.
Fiyero didn't let go of her for a long while, suddenly jolted from his thoughts when Marlyn broke the silence. "Is that her name?" she asked softly. "Fae?"
Fiyero shook his head, slowly detangling his fingers from hers and looking up at Marlyn. "It's Elphaba," he said. "Her name. Fae is my nickname for her."
Marlyn nodded. "I see." She stared at Elphaba's pale face for a while longer, seemingly lost in thought. Then she decided, "I believe you."
Fiyero's head snapped up at her in surprise.
In response to his inquiring look, she shrugged. "It's just that… watching the two of you together…" She shook her head. "I don't see a Wicked Witch," she said simply. "All I see is a scared and hurt young woman. I'll help you," she decided. "I'll try my best to keep anyone from finding her out, and I'll do everything in my power to make sure she'll get better. Okay?"
Fiyero surprised her by rising to his feet and pulling her in for a quick hug. "Thank you."
In the days that followed, Elphaba remained unconscious – which worried Fiyero to no end, but Marlyn assured him that it was normal. "It's her body's way of dealing with the injuries," she explained. "Basically, it shuts everything down so that it can focus solely on healing."
Fiyero nodded, not convinced. "How are her burn wounds, anyway?"
Marlyn shook her head. "Remarkably well," she replied. "They're healing very quickly… I think that might have something to do with that spell you said she cast before she fell unconscious."
"Really?" Fiyero looked at the sleeping green girl in the bed. "Do you think it was some sort of healing spell?" he asked Marlyn.
She shrugged. "Fiyero, it's not like I've ever met a witch before," she reminded him. "Or anyone with magical powers, really. I'm just speculating. It seems most likely, because I've never seen a person with burns this bad heal this quickly."
Fiyero stroked Elphaba's hair. "She's a miracle," he agreed softly. Then he looked up at Marlyn again. "When do you think she could leave the hospital?" he asked her.
"Not yet," Marlyn replied immediately. "There's still a grave danger of infection, and no matter how quickly she's healing, those wounds need more time as well. They're third-degree burns, Fiyero. She's going to have scars from them for the rest of her life. That's not fixed within a few days – not even by a magical healing incantation."
Fiyero nodded reluctantly. "Okay."
The next day, when Marlyn had forced Fiyero into an empty patient room for a good night's sleep, promising to take care of Elphaba, the dark-haired witch woke up again.
The moment she saw Elphaba's eyes open, Marlyn rushed to her bedside, placing her fingers in Elphaba's neck to check her pulse. "How are you feeling?" she asked the younger girl.
Elphaba blinked a few times. "Where's Yero?" she whispered.
"Asleep." Marlyn checked the bags with fluid that were hanging from the standard next to Elphaba's bed. "I pretty much forced him to take a nap," she said, looking down at Elphaba. "He has barely slept at all since he brought you in. Do you want me to go and get him for you?"
Elphaba shook her head slightly. "That's okay," she said, her voice a little bit hoarse. "You can let him sleep."
When Marlyn moved to check Elphaba's temperature, the dark-haired witch flinched slightly, and Marlyn pulled her hand back with a small, slightly nervous laugh. "You don't trust me, do you?"
Elphaba bit her lip. "It's nothing personal," she said quietly. "It's just… how much do you know about me?" she asked suddenly.
Marlyn replied truthfully, "Pretty much everything, I think" at which Elphaba's eyes widened.
She looked away. "Well… then you probably understand why I can't really afford to trust strangers," she said. "Life on the run isn't ideal, but I prefer it over life in Southstairs."
"And you're right about that," said Marlyn as she shoved the thermometer under Elphaba's tongue, then shone into the young witch's eyes with a bright light. She wrote something down. "Yet I can't help but feel that you should be slightly warier of me than you are now," she added.
Elphaba blinked. "What do you mean?"
"Fiyero told me about your situation," Marlyn said. "You're right – you can't afford to trust anyone… yet to some extent, you're trusting me. By not running off, by letting me take care of you…"
Elphaba opened her mouth to say something, but Marlyn cut her off. "And don't say it's because you're hurt," she said. "You and I both know that you could get out of here if you really wanted to. It wouldn't be wise, but it's possible, if you wanted it badly enough."
Elphaba closed her mouth again.
"So why don't you?" Marlyn asked her, genuinely curious. "Who says I'm not a spy for Madame Morrible, and that the Gale Force is on its way here right now because I called them?"
"No-one," Elphaba admitted. "You might be." She sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. "But… I trust Fiyero," she said softly. "I know he would never let anything happen to me, and if he says you'll help us, then I believe him."
Marlyn smiled softly. "You two really love each other, don't you?"
"He's my soul mate," Elphaba agreed immediately. "In all of my life, there's only been two people who could see through the green and the sarcasm, see the real me… one of them is my best friend, and the other is Fiyero. How he could ever love me, a green girl with crazy magical powers and an unhealthy dose of sarcasm – not even to mention the whole Wicked Witch of the West thing – I still don't know, but for some idiotic reason, he does. And I love him, too. More than anything in this world."
Marlyn was still smiling. "That is so cute."
Elphaba chuckled softly. "You sound like my best friend."
Marlyn took the thermometer from Elphaba's mouth and frowned slightly. "You've got a fever."
Elphaba looked at her. "Is that bad?"
"It doesn't have to be," Marlyn acknowledged. "It's not a very high fever – it might be part of your healing process… but I'm going to keep an eye on it nonetheless."
Elphaba nodded, shifting slightly as she tried to get comfortable. Marlyn made her drink some water and fed her a bit of bouillon, then put the bowl on the nightstand. "Try to get some more sleep," she instructed the green girl. "That's your best medicine right now."
Elphaba meaningfully glanced at all the fluids and medication that was entering her blood through the drip, and Marlyn made a face. "Your best medicine," she stressed. "Not your only one."
Elphaba chuckled softly. "Point taken."
She fell asleep again not long thereafter, and Marlyn left the room to tend to some of her other patients, locking the door behind her. She'd told Fiyero to come and look for her if he woke up and wanted to see Elphaba – she couldn't give him a key, but she didn't want to leave the door unlocked for fear of someone walking in on a sleeping Witch of the West.
When she walked into the hallway a few hours later, however, and heard the commotion coming from the main hall of the hospital, she knew that they had been found out.
After Fiyero had awakened from his nap, feeling refreshed and much better than before, he had immediately gone to Elphaba's room. Upon finding the door locked, he realised that Marlyn must have left. Instead of going to find her, he walked in the direction of the main hall, intending to find himself some coffee and something to eat before he would ask Marlyn for the key. He was starving.
He was just sitting on a low wall and sipping his coffee when the Gale Force stormed into the hospital.
"There he is!" their Captain shouted, and Fiyero dropped his coffee in shock. Before he could move, the soldiers were all over him, pulling his arms behind his back and holding him firmly in place.
The Captain of the Guard walked up to him, a threatening look on his face. "It's over, Your Highness," he spat. "We've got you."
Fiyero struggled. "I don't know what you're talking about!" he tried desperately.
The Captain leant forward until their noses were almost touching. "Stop playing games, Prince Fiyero," he said in a dangerously low voice. "I know who you are, and I know who you've been with. You have been helping the Wicked Witch of the West, and for that you will pay."
Fiyero swallowed, feeling the blood drain from his face. They knew. He didn't care all that much that they knew he had helped Elphaba; what he really cared about was that they knew Elphaba was here. She was still recovering. She was feverish, she was still sleeping most of the time. If they found her now…
She would never survive Southstairs in this condition.
"She's not here!" he said in a final, desperate attempt to keep her safe. "She left a few hours ago!"
The Captain laughed hollowly. "No, she didn't," he said. "I know exactly where she is. Room 608, on the second floor."
Fiyero paled visibly.
The Captain leant forward again. "It's too late, Prince Fiyero. I already sent some of my men there," he hissed. "They're on their way to the Emerald City with her right now. Believe me when I tell you that she is not going to survive this. I'll make sure of that." He smirked. "Though I won't have to do much," he chuckled. "Madame Morrible will take care of everything. The plans she has… Your green friend is going to beg Morrible to end her life." He shook his head, still smirking in grim satisfaction. "Within now and a short time, the Witch will be dead."
The other men came back, followed by some bewildered-looking nurses. Marlyn was among them.
"Don't let them leave," the Captain ordered. "I want them all interrogated." He walked over to one of his colleagues, speaking with him in hushed tones, and Marlyn used the opportunity to sneak towards Fiyero.
"Have you seen her?" he whispered desperately. "Please tell me it isn't true."
Marlyn shook her head. "I'm sorry, Fiyero," she said sadly. "The moment I heard people say that the Gale Force was here, I went to check up on her, but… but it's true." She looked up at him. "She's gone," she whispered. "They took her."
That speech in my AN at the beginning was not meant to placate you or anything, but try to keep it in mind as you consider to pull out your pitchforks :3. If you let me live, I promise I'll update soon!